TORONTO — Twenty-two-year-old Toronto native Evan Fong is about to crack the Top 25 list for most YouTube subscribers, passing Ellen DeGeneres and Justin Bieber.

And he’ll do it by playing video games.

Approaching 11 million subscribers and two billion views, Fong’s YouTube channel VanossGaming is part of a massive trend: a subculture of young people are tuning out of TV and are instead going online to watch other people play and talk over video games.

A source with knowledge of YouTube’s payment structure estimated Fong could be making in the neighbourhood of US$300,000 a month from his videos.

“If you’re really into gaming there’s not really anything on TV,” says Fong, who typically gets between four to 14 million views for his content daily.

“Viewers really like the authentic type of content from regular people just playing games because they can relate to that.

“And I think that’s a huge reason why people prefer to watch YouTube videos. It really is a totally different experience and it’s something you can’t find on TV.”

Warning: Profanity is used in the following VanossGaming video

In a typical VanossGaming video, Fong and a group of friends chat, laugh and make jokes over gameplay from popular titles such as “Grand Theft Auto V” or “Call of Duty: World at War.”

The trend was recently lampooned in a “South Park” episode, which featured Swedish YouTuber Felix Kjellberg, who uses the alias PewDiePie online. Kjellberg has the most-viewed channel on all of YouTube.

When something is targeted by “South Park” you know it’s a very big deal culturally, says Joshua Cohen, founder of the industry news outlet Tubefilter.com.

“It’s a very good testament to how viewing habits have changed for younger generations, what’s appealing to them and what makes sense for them to watch,” Cohen says.

“Gamers have developed one of the most massive and ardent fan bases in the world on YouTube. It’s pretty impressive.”

Fong, who dropped out of university in his second year as his YouTube channel began exploding in popularity, says he never expected to get paid to play video games.

He launched his channel back in 2011 but didn’t spend much time on it at first. He was focused on playing junior hockey and chasing a U.S. scholarship.

“In the early days I remember maybe 1,000 views was something that would be off the charts for me,” Fong recalls.

“It took, I would say, about a good year and a half (to start becoming popular). It started really slow and I didn’t take it really seriously. It wasn’t something that I strived to do to the best of my ability like I do now.”

Anything on the Internet can blow up and go away… You’re only as good as your last video on YouTube

When his hockey dreams didn’t pan out he went to school full-time. His parents were understandably concerned as his YouTube channel stole more and more time from his university studies.

“It was something they weren’t always fully supportive of. Even though there’s a lot of potential for somebody starting a YouTube channel it’s obviously not a guaranteed path. They just basically wanted to make sure I was still taking school seriously,” Fong says.

“But I was very conservative. I never wanted to stop university and risk that opportunity. So what I did was I made sure I was successful enough on YouTube before I (dropped out). I probably stopped school a lot later than most full-time YouTubers did.”

While his channel’s growth is still meteoric, Fong is level-headed enough to know it could stall — or crash — at any time.

“Anything on the Internet can blow up and go away,” he says.

“You’re only as good as your last video on YouTube.”

]]>http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/how-toronto-youtuber-vanossgaming-is-passing-ellen-justin-bieber-in-subscribers/feed3youtuberthecanadianpressVideo explains the ‘invisible benefits’ of gaming while malehttp://o.canada.com/technology/video-explains-the-invisible-benefits-of-gaming-while-male-554845
http://o.canada.com/technology/video-explains-the-invisible-benefits-of-gaming-while-male-554845#commentsTue, 02 Dec 2014 18:28:40 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=554845]]>If nothing else, the mess that is GamerGate proved as concretely as ever that women who engage in online gaming have a far different experience than men.

That experience too often includes harassment, ranging from assumptions that women don’t know how to play to sexual comments and unsolicited pictures of genitalia. One female video game reviewer in Australia recently said she’d been receiving rape threats from young boys, a sadly common experience for women who have made their careers in the gaming world.

The reviewer, Alanah Pearce, fought back by forwarding the offending messages to the boys’ parents. But, while it was a creative way to tackle the problem, harassment in gaming won’t stop until the boys and men doing it start calling each other out.

One of the first steps to get there is being able to recognize how being the presumed default player — a white dude — affords certain privileges. Like not getting those aforementioned genitalia photos, for example.

A new video from a YouTube channel that has been a lightning rod of gamer angst, Anita Sarkeesian’s Feminist Frequency, released a new video Tuesday exploring just that sort of privilege.

Though produced by Sarkeesian, “25 Invisible Benefits of Gaming While Male” includes an all-male cast, including Brian Altano, Greg Miller and Mitch Dyer from IGN, Arthur Gies of Polygon and video game developer Tim Schafer, from Double Fine Productions. The video was also written by a man — series collaborator Jonathan McIntosh.

“Because it was created by a straight white man, this checklist will likely be taken more seriously than if it had been written by virtually any female gamer,” says McIntosh.

The video makes it clear — boys and men who game are not immune from harassment or verbal abuse, but it won’t happen simply because of their male identity.

“In order to make change first we need to acknowledge the problem, and then we must take responsibility for it as a community, so we can actively work together, with people of all genders, to dismantle the parts of gaming culture that perpetuate these imbalances.”

Watch the full video below:

]]>http://o.canada.com/technology/video-explains-the-invisible-benefits-of-gaming-while-male-554845/feed2Man playing a computer gameslaurenstrapaThis website lets you play 900 classic arcade games in your web browserhttp://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/this-website-lets-you-play-900-classic-arcade-games-in-your-web-browser
http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/this-website-lets-you-play-900-classic-arcade-games-in-your-web-browser#respondTue, 04 Nov 2014 20:42:10 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=539750]]>Approximately 900 classic games like Centipede, Joust, D-Day and hundreds of others, are now playable in any web browser thanks to San Francisco-based non-profit The Internet Archive and Jason Scott, who is behind this massive effort to convert a variety of classic video game emulators over to Javascipt.

“Of the roughly 900 arcade games (yes, nine hundred arcade games) up there, some are in pretty weird shape – vector games are an issue, scaling is broken for some, and some have control mechanisms that are just not going to translate to a keyboard or even a joypad,” said Scott in a recent blog post about his project.

The website makes use of a program called JSMESS, allowing The Internet Archive to emulate old school platforms like the Commodore 64, Atari 2600 and many more, all through Javascript.

The arcade project is the latest step in the Internet Archive’s mission to preserve video game history. The Internet Archive launched the Historical Software Collection last year, an initiative to collect old school computers and video game consoles for historical preservation.

]]>http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/this-website-lets-you-play-900-classic-arcade-games-in-your-web-browser/feed0the internet arcadepatrickorourkeRoomAlive: Microsoft’s new experimental augmented reality gamehttp://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/roomalive-microsofts-new-experimental-augmented-reality-game
http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/roomalive-microsofts-new-experimental-augmented-reality-game#respondMon, 06 Oct 2014 20:34:10 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=524808]]>Microsoft has revealed a new version of its Illumiroom projection concept shown off during last year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), extending the idea into the realm of augmented reality.

RoomAlive turns any living room into augmented reality, creating virtual objects on your table, couch or any other object, and then allowing you to interact with it in the physical world. In contrast, Illumiroom projected a larger, non-interactive image around a room’s walls and floors in an effort to add another level of immersion to a gaming experience.

While the technology is still in the research stages, it’s certainly compelling. A video released by Microsoft’s research division shows off a whack-a-mole style game that uses a gun, and another one featuring traps popping out of walls. If this product ever makes it to store shelves it’ll likely be expensive, especially considering it required multiple high-end projectors, but as just a proof-of-concept idea, RoomAlive is fascinating.

RoomAlive uses a projector, just like Illumiroom, but also a collection of depth cameras to map a room, including the people and furniture inside it. The pixels it maps can then be used for either input or output, allowing people to touch, shoot and dodge augmented reality content. According to Microsoft’s recent video about the project, RoomAlive is linked to Unity in order to allow developers to easily design games around its technology.

“The system automatically creates a unified model of the room by combining the depth maps from each pro cam unit. In addition to the 3D model, our system automatically extracts the surfaces in the room, identifying vertical and horizontal surfaces in the floor plan,” says the video’s narrator.

Imagine a video game that takes advantage of your room’s layout and then adapts this to whatever title you’re playing? While the sometimes gimmicky fad of motion-based gaming seems to be a thing of the past, unique technology like RoomAlive could help revive it. The potential for the non-gaming related application of RoomAlive’s augmented reality technology could also be interesting.

Hopefully, Microsoft at some point has a playable version of RoomAlive at a trade show since its likely the technology will never be released to the public, at least not any time soon.

]]>http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/roomalive-microsofts-new-experimental-augmented-reality-game/feed0roomalivepatrickorourkeDestiny: Farming bug lets you get Legendary Engrams without firing a shothttp://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/destiny-farming-bug-lets-you-get-legendary-engrams-without-firing-a-shot
http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/destiny-farming-bug-lets-you-get-legendary-engrams-without-firing-a-shot#commentsTue, 23 Sep 2014 06:30:29 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=518030]]>With so many Destiny players already reaching the level 20 cap in Destiny, the grind for gear is in full swing and some guardians are finding interesting ways to farm Legendary Engrams. I’ve outlined a guide that takes advantage of this game breaking bug before the folks at Bungie come to their senses and fix it. The video guide below shows more:

If you’re looking to get your Light levels all the way to 28, there’s a way to snatch that high level gear without even firing a shot.

First thing you need to do is head to the patrol area on Earth from there go north through the dark apartment complex and out the other side to an area called “Skywatch.”

You may notice several high level players all shooting into a western cave as Hive spawns, make sure you situate yourself behind the rocks and fire at the monstrous creatures (this is what other guides will tell you).

Here’s the location of Destiny’s magical cave. Screenshot

Instead, all you have to do is actively move around in the area – either by holding down on the joystick or propping it up so that your cursor is constantly moving. Despite never firing a shot this will yield the exact same results as wasting hours and hours shooting poor demons in a hole.

Now you can still earn the engrams just by being active in the area, but after a few minutes of dancing I noticed I was summarily kicked from the servers. So get some purple gear before Bungie stops you. It’s likely that this exploit will be fixed at some point in the near future.

If you haven’t picked up Destiny yet make sure you check out our review.

]]>http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/destiny-farming-bug-lets-you-get-legendary-engrams-without-firing-a-shot/feed3Engrams DestinyandyborkowskiDestiny Magic CaveWatch Pierce Brosnan vs. Jimmy Fallon in Goldenye N64: Yes, this really happenedhttp://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/watch-pierce-brosnan-vs-jimmy-fallon-in-goldenye-n64-yes-this-really-happened
http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/watch-pierce-brosnan-vs-jimmy-fallon-in-goldenye-n64-yes-this-really-happened#respondWed, 20 Aug 2014 22:16:09 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=502357]]>Jimmy Fallon killed James Bond. At least he did in GoldenEye N64 while playing against Pierce Brosnan during a recent episode of The Tonight Show. It’s pretty much one of the best things ever.

]]>http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/watch-pierce-brosnan-vs-jimmy-fallon-in-goldenye-n64-yes-this-really-happened/feed0goldeneyemmelnychukGaming Goods: ‘Donkey Kong’ highlights a busy Februaryhttp://o.canada.com/technology/gaming-goods-donkey-kong-highlights-a-busy-february
http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming-goods-donkey-kong-highlights-a-busy-february#respondThu, 06 Mar 2014 15:13:46 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=407384]]>Penguins and walruses populate the latest instalment of “Donkey Kong Country,” released last month. And the South Park gang is at it again with “The Stick of Truth.”]]>http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming-goods-donkey-kong-highlights-a-busy-february/feed0thecanadianpressNintendo could prevent a financial “Game Over” with these 3 strategieshttp://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/nintendo-could-prevent-a-financial-game-over-with-these-3-strategies
http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/nintendo-could-prevent-a-financial-game-over-with-these-3-strategies#commentsTue, 21 Jan 2014 19:41:52 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=385853]]>Industry pundits have been telling stories of Nintendo’s immanent demise for months and, in some cases, years.

What many people seem to forget is Nintendo has tons of money in the bank. The storied Japanese gaming giant has exactly $5,038,214,927.30 in cash and assets, according to a recent financial report. Basically, from a financial perspective, the company could probably release another Wii U-style failed console and still exist.

This doesn’t mean they should just continue churning out failures, because at some point, Nintendo’s financial troubles will finally catch up with them. They need to become a different kind of company and alter their business practices to adapt to the rapidly changing video game landscape. The company also recently reported a 2013 annual loss totalling $240 million for 2013,

The first Nintendo console I actually owned was the original GameBoy. I love this .gif because it brings back a lot of memories.

Out of all the video game-related companies out there, if anyone can turn this thing around, Nintendo can.

Nintendo’s Wii U is struggling; there’s no way to deny this fact now. I might think the console is great and really enjoy Nintendo’s quirky flagship titles, but the average person doesn’t even know the console exists. Worldwide, the Wii U has sold 5.5 million units in a little over a year. The PlayStation 4 has sold 4.6 million and the Xbox One has sold 3.2 million in just a few weeks.

Even the 3DS, with its extremely strong library of games, is struggling and Nintendo has lowered its sales predictions for the console from 18 million to 13.5 million units. Regardless of how you interpret these numbers, it’s obvious the Wii U continues to be a financial disaster for Nintendo.

1. The Wii U could become a PlayStation Now style streaming box

Sony Computer Entertainment President and Group CEO Andrew House, executive in charge of Sony Network Entertainment, introduces PlayStation Now during a keynote address by Sony Corp.

So how does the company right this slowly sinking ship? Well, they could turn the relatively cheap Wii U into a PlayStation Now style streaming box. Before you tell me this isn’t possible, hear out my idea. The Wii U already sells for $250, after a recent price drop. Lower the console’s cost another $50 and Nintendo would probably begin selling the system at a loss, which obviously isn’t good.

This is where a PlayStation Now style streaming model could come into play. Let’s call this hypothetical service “Nintendo Now.” Nintendo has the most recognizable and popular franchises in gaming and their virtual console games continue to sell on the 3DS, Wii and to a lesser extent, the Wii U. The company could create packages allowing people to stream every Mario Kart title via the cloud for an annual price that falls somewhere between $20 and $50. This same model could be applied to other classic Nintendo games.

Nintendo could even offer gigantic subscription packages that stream hundreds of titles from the company’s back catalogue to the console. Of course getting through the red tape of third-party licensing agreements would be difficult, but this is still certainly an obstacle that can be surpassed. People have been playing ROMs of popular Nintendo games on emulators for years. Maybe it’s time Nintendo found a better way to capitalize on this phenomenon?

Nintendo could make this concept even more successful by adopting a Netflix-style cheap monthly fee – something between $8 and $20 -for unlimited cloud-based gaming access. Developing the technology to back a platform like this would take a ton of money and research. Given the Nintendo Network’s struggles, it’s obvious the company doesn’t really understand the internet or online multiplayer gaming, creating yet another obstacle for this strategy.

2. Drop the GamePad or sell it separately

No one really knows what to do with the Wii U’s GamePad.

I think the Wii U’s GamePad is a cool, unique accessory and far from a silly gimmick. But I know I’m in the minority when it comes to this opinion. Developers don’t seem to understand how to make intelligent use of it and average consumers think the Wii U’s GamePad is some sort of touch screen accessory for the Wii (thanks to Nintendo’s horrendous marketing of the Wii U). Even some hardcore Nintendo fans are claiming the GamePad really has no purpose at this point.

If Nintendo were to discontinue the GamePad, or start selling a specific Wii U model that doesn’t include the tablet controller, a number of problems could arise. Games that make use of the GamePad wouldn’t be compatible with a new Wii U model that doesn’t include the peripheral. Of course patching current releases to support GamePad-less play could be a way around this issue, although this wouldn’t be possible for some games.

Say what you want about the Wii U but it’s hard to deny how awesome Super Mario 3D World is.

On the bright side, ditching the GamePad would save the company a significant amount of money and perhaps, although unless sales increase this is unlikely, bring back much needed third-party support to the Wii U.

Nintendo could continue to support the idea of the GamePad by selling it separately, a strategy Microsoft is probably going to have to take with the Xbox One if the console’s sales fall much more behind the PlayStation 4’s.

3. Pull a Sega and go third-party

Going third-party didn’t exactly go well for Sega.

I don’t want to see this happen, mainly because the strategy didn’t work at all for Sega, but if any company can make the shift from a hardware creator to third-party software developer, it’s Nintendo.

This could go two ways. Nintendo could start creating games for every platform, PC, Xbox One, PS4 and even for smartphone OS like Android and iOS. While Nintendo has stated on numerous occasions that they’ll never go multiplatform. Back in August, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, said the following on the subject:

“If I was to take responsibility for the company for just the next one or two years, and if I was not concerned about the long-term future of Nintendo at all, it might make sense for us to provide our important franchises for other platforms, and then we might be able to gain some short-term profit. However, I’m really responsible for the long-term future of Nintendo as well, so I would never think about providing our precious resources for other platforms at all.”

Can Iwata figure out how to save Nintendo?

While Iwata’s position on Nintendo creating games for other devices seems to have softened, it seems Nintendo games are more likely to appear on smartphones than on competing consoles like the Xbox One and PS4. Although, you could argue Nintendo’s portable console, the 3DS, a device that’s still moderately successful, is in direct competition with Android and iOS platforms.

As Iwata said in the above quote, creating games for multiple platforms, even if it’s just for smartphones, would give the company short term profits, but in the long run, would hurt Nintendo. After all, people buy Nintendo systems to play Nintendo games. If Nintendo games are everywhere and on every platform, the solid brand recognition the company has built over the last 50 years could slowly dissipate.

Of course the exact opposite could happen and Nintendo could not go the way of Sega. Maybe going multiplatform is exactly what the company needs to do to remain relevant.

All I know is I’d like to play classic Nintendo games on my smartphone in a legal way. One thing is certain though, something needs to give. Nintendo can’t continue to operate in the same way it has for years for much longer. The company has a ton of money in the bank, but in just a few short years, this stockpile could dwindle down to nothing.

8-year-old Patrick still totally wouldn’t believe Sega is making games on a Nintendo platform. What a crazy video game world we live in today.

The study was done for Domino’s Pizza timed to mark the U.K. launch of Microsoft’s Xbox One on Friday and Sony’s PlayStation 4 the following week.

Among the findings were that nearly half of male gamers confessed to turning down sex to stay fixated on their games. About 20 per cent of women players had skipped weddings and showers to pursue their computer-fed fantasies.

Even more troubling was the finding that one in seven relieved themselves in empty bottles so they wouldn’t have to leave the game.

But men were also less likely than women to skip time with pals — 85 per cent said they would never miss a stag, wedding or other important events. Yet many women even said they’d missed funerals.

In addition, the study also found British gamers spend more than $320 a year on game nights, which included new games, consoles, pizza, chips and beer.

amazingly, 20 per cent of players confessed they had stayed up for at least 30 hours consecutively playing games.

But it’s not all bad news on the gaming front — one in five said they had met the love of their life playing games online.

Domino’s spokesman Simon Wallis told the Daily Mail: “With the number of new launches coming up this month, including PS4 and Xbox One, we’re expecting a spike in orders from across the country as gamers batten down the hatches and prepare to stay in and test out their new high-tech gadgets.”

The unrepentant Australian claims “liberals” are furious because he has dissed the 20 dead young students and six educators who were murdered last December in a massacre that stunned the world. The creator — believed to be named Ryan Jake Lambourn — adds that conservatives are angry because the game, The Slaying of Sandy Hook Elementary, has a gun control message.

Victoria Soto

“Here we are nearly a year after the Sandy Hook shootings in which 26 people were killed and absolutely nothing positive has come out of it,” he wrote in the credits.

In the game, players reenact the horrible events of Dec. 14, 2012 in Newtown, Conn., when Adam Lanza turned the school into a slaughterhouse. Already one gaming site has taken the game down.

Family members of heroic teacher Victoria Soto, who died protecting her students, told the New York Daily News they’ve tried to reach out to the tasteless techie.

Soto’s family tweeted the gamer and said: “Please tell us how playing a game that recreates how Vicki died would be beneficial? Please tell us.”

The Aussie replied: “Sure, but you’d learn more by ‘playing it.'”

Furious, the devastated family released a statement to the News: “The constant barrage of negative backlash we face as a family is unimaginable. We constantly have to battle people who still, to this day, think Sandy Hook is a hoax. For those people I can only say I hope you never have to go through what we do as a family.”

People are comforted near Sandy Hook elementary school.

But Lambourn said he wouldn’t be deterred and tweeted: “The liberals don’t like me because I’ve disrespected the dead. The conservatives don’t like me because of the gun-control message. The conspiracy theorists don’t like me because it risks informing people of what happened. And the trolls don’t like me because it wasn’t edgy enough.”

]]>http://o.canada.com/news/fury-over-sandy-hook-school-massacre-game/feed2SANDY HOOK GAMEpostmedianews1Victoria SotoPeople are comforted near Sandy Hook elementary school on Friday.Gaming Goods: New ‘Killzone’ highlights PS4 launchhttp://o.canada.com/technology/gaming-goods-new-killzone-highlights-ps4-launch
http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming-goods-new-killzone-highlights-ps4-launch#respondWed, 13 Nov 2013 20:49:54 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=347215]]>“Killzone: Shadow Fall,” “Knack” and “Need for Speed: Rivals” highlight the new launch titles for the PlayStation 4. A-list games “Bioshock: Infinite” and “XCOM: Enemy Unknown” also get expansions this week.]]>http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming-goods-new-killzone-highlights-ps4-launch/feed0Killzone: Shadow FallthecanadianpressGaming Goods: ‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’ has some bitehttp://o.canada.com/technology/gaming-goods-call-of-duty-ghosts-has-some-bite
http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming-goods-call-of-duty-ghosts-has-some-bite#respondWed, 06 Nov 2013 14:43:02 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=341609]]>“Call of Duty: Ghosts” is set in an alternate future where the southern United States is in ruins. Also new in video games this week is “Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy” on the Nintendo 3DS.]]>http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming-goods-call-of-duty-ghosts-has-some-bite/feed0Call of Duty: GhoststhecanadianpressGaming Goods: New ‘Assassins Creed,’ ‘Battlefield’ out this weekhttp://o.canada.com/technology/gaming-goods-new-assassins-creed-battlefield-out-this-week
http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming-goods-new-assassins-creed-battlefield-out-this-week#respondWed, 30 Oct 2013 15:53:02 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=337794]]>The Canadian-developed “Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag” adds swashbuckling flair to the popular series. The first-person team shooter “Battlefield 4” and the pro-wrestling game “WWE 2K14” also come out this week.]]>http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming-goods-new-assassins-creed-battlefield-out-this-week/feed0Assassins Creed IV: Black FlagthecanadianpressGaming Goods: A look at Batman’s early dayshttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/gaming-goods-a-look-at-batmans-early-days
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/gaming-goods-a-look-at-batmans-early-days#respondThu, 24 Oct 2013 20:17:14 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=334793]]>“Batman: Arkham Origins” lets you play as the Caped Crusader in his formative years. Also new in video games this week, “Lego Marvel Superheroes” provides more comic book fun, while “Device 6” brings an intense narrative adventure to iOS devices.]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/gaming-goods-a-look-at-batmans-early-days/feed0shot_7thecanadianpressThe Assassin’s Creed series could be headed further into the pasthttp://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/the-assassins-creed-series-could-be-headed-further-into-the-past
http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/the-assassins-creed-series-could-be-headed-further-into-the-past#commentsTue, 22 Oct 2013 22:11:41 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=333392]]>During a recent Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag preview event in Toronto, I spoke with the game’s production manager, Ambre Lizurey, about the future of the Assassin’s Creed franchise.

Flash forward to today and the pirate-focused Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is set to launch on Oct 29, 2013. In terms of historical context, the age of piracy obviously occurred before Assassin’s Creed III’s American Revolution setting.

Understandably, Lizurey was just as cryptic as Pelland was when asked what direction she thought the Assassin’s Creed series could be headed in.

“I can say that we have always focused on history. There are a lot of different parts of the world and periods in history we can explore. I can’t say what we are thinking of but there are a lot of things we can do. It would be easy for us to go back in time if we wanted to,” said Lizurey.

How cool would it be if the next Assassin’s Creed took place in Egypt? Imagine bounding over pyramids and exploring hidden tombs? Sounds like a great idea to me.

If the Assassin’s Creed franchise continues to find fresh settings and time periods to take place in, each release will continue to generate excitement, even though the game is on a yearly EA Sports-style release schedule now.

For the last four days I’ve tried to play the game and haven’t really been able to get anywhere. I was able to log in for a while as a random character and then at a later date as a character I created. But, in both situations, I was eventually dropped from GTA Online’s servers.

I did get into two separate jobs, though, GTA’s term for activities. One involved a standard deathmatch where I disappointingly realized GTA Online features the same auto aim that plagues GTA V, although it is a little less effective. The other job involved a painfully boring bicycle race through Los Santos’ airport. Thankfully, I was able to grab a gun and shoot my competitors off their bicycles.

This is the error I usually run into every time I try to play GTA Online.

I was also able to access GTA Online’s free roam mode for a short period of time before getting kicked off. Right away I tried to rob a convenience store with my carefully selected getaway vehicle, a dirt bike, hoping to re-enact the best parts of recent Ryan Gosling movie, Place Beyond the Pines.

I held up the store owner, yelled into the mic to make him move faster and grabbed the money. When I made it to the door, the police had already surrounded the gas station and a helicopter was circling over head. It might have been a stupid decision, but I decided to go back in the store to see if there was a back exit.

The store owner was still cowering behind the counter as I turned the corner to the back room. As expected, there wasn’t a back exit (it was worth a try as my health was already pretty low). I decided to make a run for it but when I turned the corner, I was greeted by the store owner holding a shotgun. Three blasts from his weapon later and I was dead, lying on the floor as police stormed through the front door.

GTA Online could end up being one of the best multiplayer games ever.

Random sequences like this will be even more fun with a group of friends. Unfortunately, no one I know that games on Xbox Live was able to get into GTA Online on this particular day. In another GTA Online situation I took out a few of my free-roaming competitors as they seemed to be involved in a four star police chase.

It’s easy to get frustrated about not being able to play GTA Online but I try to keep in mind the fact that Rockstar was probably caught completely off guard by the game’s insane sales numbers.

Rockstar predicted GTA V would make $1 billion in the game’s first three months on store shelves. Instead, the game made $1 billion in just three days. To date, GTA V has sold 17.4 million copies on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. This means there a lot of people out there with copies of GTA V, probably causing the game’s servers to be severely overloaded. No amount of in-house testing could have prepared Rockstar for this onslaught. Still, the situation is very frustrating.

A lot of gamers are experiencing errors like this when trying to play GTA Online.

A GTA Online title update is set to be released today and many gamers who have already downloaded it, claim it fixes a number of GTA Online’s issues, mainly not being able to get through the tutorial opening sequence. Rockstar released this statement about the update yesterday:

“We’re currently working on a title update for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 to address commonly reported issues with GTA Online. We hope to have it out for download as soon as tomorrow.”

The update is set to fix cloud server issues, failure to connect to host errors and the inability to get past the game’s opening tutorial. Before the release of this update some users have found deleting GTA V’s previous title update from your console’s memory allows some people to get through the game’s tutorial.

Welcome to GTA Offline

Because of all these issues, Rockstar has also decided to remove micro-transactions from the game, a decision many gamers probably hope is permanent (but know it won’t be).

Since Kickstarter first appeared, Canadians haven’t been able to post projects on the service without some sort of convoluted work around. Many Canadian entrepreneurs opted to create American shell companies or partnered with a U.S. citizen or corporation in order to get their project posted on Kickstarter.

After Sept. 9, Canadians will be able to directly post their own projects on Kickstarter, making complicated barriers a thing of the past. This change will perhaps encourage more Canadian entrepreneurs to take advantage of Kickstarter now that the process is easier.

Kickstarter takes 5 per cent of the money raised by a project if it meets their fundraising target. San Francisco-based competing crowdfunding platform, Indiegogo, has allowed Canadians to post products since launch.

]]>http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/kickstarter-launches-in-canada-on-sept-9/feed2Kickstarter CanadapatrickorourkePreview: Ryse is intriguing and might not totally suckhttp://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/preview-ryse-is-intriguing-and-might-not-totally-suck
http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/preview-ryse-is-intriguing-and-might-not-totally-suck#commentsWed, 04 Sep 2013 19:40:58 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=305185]]>Ryse: Son of Rom is one of the first video games I’ve seen that actually looks like it fits into the typical “next-generation” ideal, at least in terms of visuals.

At Microsoft’s booth at Fan Expo Canada I had the chance to go hands-on with Ryse, the upcoming Xbox One exclusive Roman culture influenced title. Only the game’s cooperative multiplayer mode was on display though unfortunately. After spending about 15 minutes with Ryse, I don’t understand why a lot of critics have been so hard on it.

While I’d need to spend significantly more time with the game before passing final judgement on it, what I experienced intrigued me. What’s great is the hands-on demo shown off at Fan Expo was the exact same preview build Gamescom attendees experienced. Up here in Canada, this is a rarity, because many developers and publishers often see us “northerners” as an after thought when it comes to promoting their upcoming video games.

Immediately it was very apparent Ryse is heavily influenced by films like Ridley Scott’s Gladiator and games like Sony’s popular God of War franchise. Actually, it almost seems like Ryse is Microsoft’s version of the God of War hack-and-slash formula that’s become synonymous with Sony’s consoles.

The demo pitted me and another player against mobs of enemies, all while fighting inside a giant Roman colosseum. Ryse places an emphasis on ensuring your virtual audience is entertained and also still has the same quick time event button press finishing moves, critics weren’t fond of in previous builds of the game.

Ryse’s single player campaign actually looks really interesting.

It’s also extremely violent and enemy dismemberment, causing blood to squirt grotesquely from your enemies, is a common sight. The violence seems to fit within the game’s universe though and while it might be a little over the top, it never feels gimmicky. This is a Roman colosseum after all, so violence really should be a focal point of Ryse.

Ryse’s quick time system has been altered slightly though. Button presses are now timed according to a colour-coded enemy body highlight, rather than a big ‘A’ flashing on the screen. Other than these finishing moves though, quick time events don’t seem to be present anywhere else in the game.

Gameplay is surprisingly simple and players attack with their sword and block with a gigantic shield. Spears can be pulled out of dead enemies and thrown across the map as well.

There seem to be a few combos present in the game but Ryse mainly encourages players to strategically block and parry, all while waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack. This added level of battle strategy makes the game feel slightly slower paced than the God Of War franchise’s frantic button mashing focused gameplay.

Graphically, Ryse is one of the first games I’ve seen that really looks significantly better than what we’ve seen.

Ryse also has a perk system I didn’t quite understand during my time with the title. Apparently it involves switching between powering up a focus attack, health, experience, or increasing damage. There’s also a character upgrade system allowing players to upgrade their weapons and armour by purchasing randomized attribute booster packs with gold earned by fighting in the colosseum.

It’s difficult to judge Ryse: Son of Roam from the small portion I played, especially after only experiencing the game’s multiplayer mode. While I had a good time with the demo, I’m unsure if Crytek will find a way to make Ryse’s gameplay entertaining over the course of a 20-30 hour game.

]]>http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/preview-ryse-is-intriguing-and-might-not-totally-suck/feed3RysepatrickorourkeRyseRyseVideo game hero ‘Rayman’ makes a legendary returnhttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/video-game-hero-rayman-makes-a-legendary-return
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/video-game-hero-rayman-makes-a-legendary-return#respondWed, 04 Sep 2013 15:08:03 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=304958]]>“Rayman Legends” marks another successful chapter in the history of one of video game’s most bizarre-looking characters. Also this week, an updated version of “Diablo 3” hits consoles, and the “Total War” series returns with “Rome II.”]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/video-game-hero-rayman-makes-a-legendary-return/feed0thecanadianpressPetition created for the return of Xbox One DRM policieshttp://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/petition-created-for-the-return-of-xbox-one-drm-policies
http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/petition-created-for-the-return-of-xbox-one-drm-policies#commentsWed, 10 Jul 2013 17:28:27 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=278749]]>A petition has recently been created lobbying Microsoft to reinstate the restrictive Xbox One’s DRM policies many gamers hated.

Essentially, they want the Xbox One to have online check-ins and game sharing all over again.

“A new wave of gaming where you could buy games digitally, then trade, share or sell those digital licenses. Essentially, it was Steam for Xbox. But consumers were uninformed, and railed against it, and it was taken away because Sony took advantage of consumers uncertainty,” writes campaign leader Dave Fontenot.

I wonder where all these defenders of Microsoft’s controversial policy were a few weeks ago when the Internet was up in arms about it all? While restrictive, I feel like Microsoft was on the right track with game sharing. Where they lost me was the inability to share retail discs with friends and purchase used games.

A few weeks ago I wrote about a simple solution to this problem. Microsoft didn’t have to do a complete 180 on their policies. They could have had some sort of compromise.

]]>http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/petition-created-for-the-return-of-xbox-one-drm-policies/feed3xboxone80patrickorourkeThe Xbox One will use QR codeshttp://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/the-xbox-one-will-use-qr-codes
http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/the-xbox-one-will-use-qr-codes#commentsSat, 06 Jul 2013 15:36:30 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=276557]]>I hate QR codes. The technology is out dated and NFC is more modern, easier to use and just makes more sense. Unfortunately, Apple still hasn’t adopted the technology in the iPhone yet and NFC is only available on higher end devices.

In theory, all you’d need to do is hold a QR code in front of Kinect to start a download. Xbox’s Chief Product Manager, Marc Whitten, confirmed last week that the Xbox One will support QR codes through Twitter.

]]>http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/the-xbox-one-will-use-qr-codes/feed1memepatrickorourkeNBA Live 14 revitalises the Live franchise for next-generation consoleshttp://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/nba-live-14-revitalises-the-live-franchise-for-next-generation-consoles
http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/nba-live-14-revitalises-the-live-franchise-for-next-generation-consoles#respondTue, 11 Jun 2013 17:44:48 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=262856]]>NBA Live 14 will be making its return to consoles as a launch title for the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One.

In a press release after the game was introduced during their E3 press conference, EA Sports revealed that the latest iteration of their troubled franchise will be exclusive to the two recently-announced next-generation platforms.

The game will use EA Sports’ Ignite engine, along with a physics-based dribbling system, dubbed BounceTek technology.

Prior to BounceTek, the animation for the basketball was a part of the player’s hand animation, whereas now, the ball uses unique physics to allow better dribbling and ball handling.

EA Sports also promises roster tweaks and updates as quickly as an hour after they happen in real-life.

Since the last iteration of the game, NBA Live 10, the franchise underwent a rebranding process, after which it was titled NBA Elite 11. The game’s demo raised concerns over its quality, with the most notable example being Andrew Bynum frozen in a scarecrow pose in the center of the court.

After internal discussions, EA Sports decided to cancel the title.

The franchise was rebranded yet again, this time going back to NBA Live 13, yet EA Sports were still not satisfied with the quality of the game and decided to cancel the game in September 2012.

NBA Live 14 is expected to come out Winter 2014. You can watch the E3 reveal video below.

They also discuss why graphics aren’t that important in video games and delve into whether or not Kickstarter is a useful platform.

Also, check out Video Game Sophisty’s Witcher 3 interview series.

Apparently, the game will place significant emphasis on relationships this time. Here’s a key quote from the interview:

“Relationships in the Witcher 3 are going to be more realistic and demanding. In the previous games, Geralt had the chance to bang several women, but you always had these options. In the Witcher 3, such opportunities will only arise if you make good choices and you try to win your love interests approval,” said the game’s lead writer, Jakub Szamalek.

]]>http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/am640s-video-game-sophistry-interviews-richard-garriot/feed0shrowd the avatarpatrickorourkeYou can now order Pizza Hut with Kinect, but only if you live statesidehttp://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/you-can-now-order-pizza-hut-with-you-kinect
http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/you-can-now-order-pizza-hut-with-you-kinect#commentsTue, 23 Apr 2013 17:51:56 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=236581]]>You can now order Pizza from Pizza Hut directly from your Xbox 360 by using Kinect, Microsoft’s controllerless motion-based gaming accessory, and Xbox Live.

This surely must be humanity’s greatest achievement in a hilariously sad way.

The Pizza Hut app for Xbox gives users access to the entire chain’s menu. You can build your own customized pizza and order it, all through Kinect motion controls and voice commands. You can even link your Xbox and PizzaHut.com account to streamline the purchase process even further.

Kinect is very inaccurate, unless you’re using it in ideal lighting conditions. Also, its voice command feature is less than stellar. It often misinterprets what I’m trying to say and, while watching movies, it occasionally thinks on-screen character speech is giving it commands.

Is this controller the future of ordering Pizza?

It seems like Microsoft is testing this new purpose for Kinect before expanding it to other products. Really though, wouldn’t it be easier to pick up a phone or open a laptop? I can only imaging how awkward it would be to wave my hands in front of the television, trying to navigate Kinect’s inaccurate pointer to that extra bacon I really want to add to my pizza.

But Pizza Hut has been doing the tech nerd pizza thing for a while. Back in 2005, they announced you’d be able to order pizza from within Everquest II, a popular online role playing game.

Right now the app is only available in the U.S., but like most Xbox Live applications, it’s probably only a matter of time before it makes its way to Canada.

The project took Marcolina three years to build because the TI-83-84 calculator can only execute 16 kilobytes of code at any given time. The programming languages these calculators use is called TiBasic but most creators prefer to use a programming language called Axe when developing for the platform.

Elements of Portal’s level design have been recreated, but at first glance, it’s difficult to tell that this retro recreation is related to Portal in any way.

Still, even though the game looks a little primitive, it’s a pretty impressive achievement.

According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Texas medical Branch in Galveston, video games can help students develop superior hand-eye coordination. Video game playing joystick movements mimic the motions surgeons need to perform in many of today’s technologically advanced robotic-based surgeries.

This study placed college and high school students head to head with resident physicians in simulated surgeries. High school students who played video games about two hours per day and college students who played video games for four hours a day had very similar skills. The test measured how much tension the subjects put on their instruments, how coordinated they were and how steady they held the tools as well. They performed surgical tasks like suturing, passing a needle and lifting surgical instruments with a robotic arm.

“The inspiration for this study first developed when I saw my son, an avid video game player, take the reins of a robotic surgery simulator at a medical convention,” said Dr. Sami Kilicm the lead author of this study.

The booth used to measure participants’ abilities has dual hand-operated controllers and a monitor that shows the robot’s movements in real-time. Strangely, the best results during this test were from students who played up to two hours of video games per day though, not those who played four hours. I guess playing more games makes you worse at them?

This data will be used to figure out the best amount of training time medical residents need to perfect and develop robotic surgery skills.

]]>http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/gamer-students-best-medical-residents-in-surgical-simulations/feed0ControllerpatrickorourkePreview: Nintendo’s Wii U could be greathttp://o.canada.com/technology/preview-nintendos-wii-u
http://o.canada.com/technology/preview-nintendos-wii-u#commentsTue, 03 Jul 2012 17:57:43 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=68485]]>After a less than stellar showing at E3, I’ve been skeptical about the Wii U.

The controller looked flimsy, the lack of multi-touch felt like a hindrance on gameplay and the depth of some of the titles seemed limited. But at a recent post-E3 Nintendo showcase in Toronto, I got some hands on t­­­­­ime with the upcoming successor to the Wii and a few of my fears were put to rest.

One of my main concerns with the Wii U was its touch screen controller. In online images it looks cheap, flimsy and often ugly. Thankfully, it feels extremely solid in your hands and, even without multi-touch, it seemed to respond to my commands easily.

While playing NintendoLand, my player was throwing Ninja stars at an advancing army by sliding my finger across the touch screen. The title gets rather frantic as the difficulty ramps up and I was concerned the controller wouldn’t keep up with my constant swiping. Surprisingly, it was able to handle break neck swiping speed.

NintendoLand seems like it will be the kind of training title filled by Wii Sports for the previous generation console. But rather than being a simple collection of mini-games, NintendoLand has a level of depth and strategy to it which was refreshing.

Once you get into the main titles for the new system, the changes become even more apparent.

New Super Mario Bros. U looks great in high definition. I didn’t think that HD would alter the franchise’s visual appeal much, but it really does. The player can choose to use either their TV or the controller to play New Super Mario Bros. U and though the controller doesn’t support HD resolution, very little detail is lost on the controller’s tiny screen.

Graphically, Ubisoft’s Zombie U and Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition are probably two of the system’s most graphically impressive titles, which means they’re on par with current generation consoles and could be left behind when updates to PlayStation and Xbox finally hit the market in a few years.

Zombie U has players survive as long as possible while trying to complete objectives. If the player dies, they turn into a zombie, assume control of a new character and try to complete the original objective. Naturally, this means they you’ll end up fighting a zombified version of yourself. Weapons are selected using the controller, making it easy to see exactly which items you have.

Another Ubisoft title, Rayman Legends, includes the most innovative use of the Wii U interface. One player controls Rayman with a regular Wii U Pro controller (no touch screen), while the other controls a different character via the touch screen controller.

In one instance, the touch screen player needs to turn their controller on a specific angle to help the player controlling Rayman navigate a maze of spikes, providing a unique cooperative experience that I’ve never had before.

Project P-100 is a game that mysteriously wasn’t shown off during Nintendo’s big E3 press conference, but received significant attention from mainstream gaming media, anyway. It’s a difficult video game to describe. Its action is so frantic that during my short time with the game, I found it difficult to figure out exactly what was going on. Essentially, the player controls a large group of heroes that move as a unit and battles alien invaders.

Interestingly, after powering up an attack meter, these heroes can then be controlled by utilizing touch screen commands on the controller screen. Many gamer journalists are touting Project P-100 as the best Wii U title at E3 this year.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 seems to look and play exactly like the first New Super Mario Bros. for the DS. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The first Mario side scrolling reboot was an extremely solid DS title and there isn’t much point in fixing a game that isn’t broken

It’s curious Nintendo has chosen to create a new entry in the Luigi’s Mansion series, considering the first Luigi’s Mansion for Gamecube was a critical and commercial failure. The quirky title features Mario’s famous brother searching through a creepy mansion. The title seems slow-paced and I quickly lost interest. But with more playing time, I think Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon could be enjoyable.

With tons of information concerning the Wii U still up in the air, it’s difficult to give a final verdict on the upcoming home console. Nintendo still hasn’t announced anything regarding either a new 3D Mario or a Zelda title, expected price tag on the system or a release date, though its expected launch is sometime this November.

My short time with the device quelled some of my fears, but the Wii U still doesn’t feel like a next-generation console, as fun as its core titles promise to be.

But where did the reports that adult videos would be incorporated into Xbox 360 originate?

YouPorn, a website that streams pornography, spun this news with an announcement that its content would now be Xbox-ready.

“Gamers and free porn lovers around the world rejoice! Thanks at long last to the introduction of Internet Explorer for XBox, you can now tap in to and stream all your favorite free YouPorn videos right from your [Xbox]. Whether you’re pwning n00bs in CoD: Modern Warfare 3, annihilating Bullymong in Borderlands 2, or taking the Saints deep in Madden NFL 13, you’re never more than a few simple controller clicks away from being face deep in hot free porn.”

Despite the implication, all of this “hot free porn” will not require a dedicated app. Rather, the Internet Explorer browser will be added to the game console as part of this fall’s dashboard update.

However, YouPorn’s post did force Microsoft to issue a statement of its own:

“To be clear, we are adding Internet Explorer to Xbox Live, not specific adult content providers like YouPorn or any other specific website content. Additionally, we give members and parents the option to turn this feature on or off for their accounts. Access to Internet Explorer for all Child accounts is blocked by default.”

So, I guess people are going to have stick to playing with their existing joysticks.

It started with the Wii and then evolved a little with PlayStation Move and Kinect, but this form of controlling a video game is still extremely restrictive and inaccurate. Nothing compares to level of control a player has over a game when they use a traditional controller.

But an innovative company called Leap Motion aims to completely change the way we control our computers, and this technology could be perfect for gaming. At first glance, it looks very similar to Microsoft’s Kinect. But unlike the Kinect, Leap is able to detect a user’s motions with unprecedented accuracy.

The Leap is a small iPod-sized motion tracking peripheral that is 200 times more sensitive than the technology in Microsoft’s Kinect. Leap creates an eight-cubic-foot virtual work space that tracks all 10 fingers simultaneously, accurate to 1/100 of a mm.

Because Leap Motion is so accurate, pinch zooming and many other motion based gestures that are commonly used with tablets, are actually possible. The software can also be embedded into anything that has a computer.

This means that it could even be integrated in something as strange as a refrigerator or hearing aid. The device can also be chained together to create a larger motion-controlled work space.

Leap Motion has the potential to completely change the way we game and control our high-tech devices. It’s also surprisingly well-priced at only $69.99 and is currently available for pre-order.

Ben Castanie and his life partner, Aurelia Peynet, weren’t exactly seeking inspiration when they got the idea to open up Snakes and Lattes (http://www.snakesandlattes.com), a board game café in downtown Toronto. But when they walked into a Chicago game store in 2008, that’s exactly what they found. The experience, while hardly extraordinary in itself, brought up a host of childhood memories and a train of thought that, ultimately, would lead them to choose an entirely new career path together.

For Castanie, a French national raised in the suburbs of Paris, the store reminded him of the toy lending libraries he enjoyed as a child. “[Toy lending libraries] were places that we had in France where as a kid you could come in, play games on site or even borrow a game, go home and play them and bring them back – toys and board games,” he says. “So this is something we were both very familiar with.”

It was this kernel of an idea, sparked by the visit to the Chicago store and bolstered by the childhood memories it recalled, that led to the development of a new business.

“It was one of [those] ideas, we [said], ‘Why don’t we do that?’ ” says Castanie. ” ‘Why don’t we open something for kids so they could come in and play?’ And we thought for a second, now we’re approaching 30, we’re adults. Why don’t we do [something] geared toward adults?

“So you would have alcohol. You’d have a bunch of games. The cool thing about the games now is . . . there’s a bunch of new games that came out in the past 10 years, something that we didn’t have when we were kids. And these games are extremely playable for adults. It’s not something that has to be a kids’ activity. So I said, yeah, let’s do it.”

Returning to Toronto, Castanie and Peynet spent the following two years writing up a business plan, saving money – and, of course, amassing a formidable collection of games.

A shelf packed with games provides a variety of options for Snakes and Lattes patrons – over 2,200 games in all. (Photo: David Kates/Postmedia News)

The first thing they noticed during the development stages was that the concept of a board game café is not only unprecedented in Toronto; it’s also one that hasn’t seen much success anywhere else.

“There are a few around the world,” he says. “We noticed that by starting our business plans, so like, what’s the competition, what do people do? And it’s not going very well, unfortunately. The idea came about in South Korea, Seoul. There are quite a few in France and Germany. But it’s been hard for them. They haven’t been able to come up with a business plan, to find a business model. So how can this little venture be profitable?”

They decided that if they were going to do things right, they were going to have to do it their own way. Part of the solution was to re-think just who might be interested in hanging out at a board game café – and losing the assumption that their prime demographic should necessarily be hardcore gamers.

“We were really focusing on this: making it a social place instead of just a game place geared towards a very specific type of population,” says Castanie.

An employee makes coffee behind the counter at Snakes and Lattes. “We started with two guys,” says Castanie. “We didn’t even know how to make coffee. We got this little cheap coffee machine and that’s the way we started.” (Photo: David Kates/Postmedia News)

The adopted rule was to start small and stick to what they knew. “At the beginning it was just basically the two of us, my partner and I,” Says Castanie. “We were very naïve. We were like, you know what? We’re going to do it the way we think it should be done. We’re going to stay away from the existing models – we actually haven’t taken that many ideas from the existing ones.

“We’re going to do it the way we want it. We’re going to serve the food that we know to cook – you know, a little quiche and a little French thing, it’s the only thing I know, right? We’re going to do what we want, we’re going to open a small place.”

From the day Snakes and Lattes opened in late August 2010, however, it didn’t take long for them to realize that what they had was more than just a small café. Benefiting in part from some positive initial press and an eager gaming community, the café saw success right from the outset – something that has grown along with its reputation. The fact that people were lining up out the door and putting themselves on waiting lists meant there was no need to invest in marketing.

Employees share their recommendations on a chalkboard at Snakes and Lattes. “We were looking for people who were very easy going,” Castanie says, “that would be able to share their passion for board games without being too geeky, you know what I mean? That was important for us. One of the main concerns was that if someone wants to play Taboo or Snakes and Ladders, sure, go ahead, they could play…The thing is, they might enjoy the place, they might enjoy the atmosphere, they might come back and then at that point, we’ll be able to tell them, listen, if you guys want to play something different, here’s a cool game for you.” (Photo: David Kates/Postmedia News)

“We never had the problem that most entrepreneurs [have],” says Castanie, “which is how do you get people to know about you and how do you get people in? We haven’t invested a single dollar in marketing. We made a little Facebook page and took some pictures, but that’s it.

“People know about us without us having to do any effort. People come without us having to do anything. We don’t have to go around [putting up] flyers. Half of my business plan was about how to reach out. It’s completely useless.”

With such unexpected success came new challenges, the most obvious one being how to accommodate the growing crowds. Starting with a small space, very few staff – at first, the only ones working there were Castanie & Peynet, along with 2 employees, one of whom was hired on the first day – and a business model not necessarily catered towards handling capacity crowds, they realized from the outset that they were going to have to keep evolving to meet demand. Accordingly, they took over the adjacent space in 2011, adding considerable capacity. They’ve hired more staff – Snakes and Lattes now has 32 employees – and have adopted a point-of-sale system so that they’re no longer taking everyone’s orders on pieces of paper.

As for the games, Castanie says they now have over 2,200 of them.

The original cafe space, seen from the back. “Most of the people go out on Friday night and Saturday,” Castanie says, “and that’s the time when we’re busy and we have to tell them, sorry guys, there’s no space here. We can put you on the list and maybe give you a call in an hour or two, and it just doesn’t fly very well with a lot of people,” (Photo: David Kates/Postmedia News)

And, he notes, there are plans to continue expansion. They’ve finalized a plan to take over half of the adjacent store, while a wall will be knocked down to open up the existing space. The plan is hoped to boost capacity by 60 per cent.

But expanding the business won’t just entail adding more physical space – or even possibly opening additional locations. The broader goal is to grow Snakes and Lattes as a brand.

“We’re definitely thinking of expanding, thinking of becoming more of a company,” he says. “So publishing games, helping people putting games out to the market, representing ourselves at conventions, having good relationships with wholesalers, publishers, distributors, with game authors. Creating our own games.”

Plastic animals serve as table markings in the second gaming room, added in 2011. Castanie says they have just finalized plans for a $150,000 expansion to take over half of the adjacent store and knock down a wall, allowing for an expected 60% boost in capacity and a more open space. (Photo: David Kates/Postmedia News)

Then there’s the added benefit of Snakes and Lattes’ unique position in the board game industry as a de facto test market for games.

“Everyone in the whole value chain,” he says, “whether it’s the author, the publisher, the wholesalers, the agents, distributors. Everyone – even the retailer . . . They don’t know why they’re playing. They [have a] very truncated vision of the whole industry and we are the only [ones] in contact with customers . . .

“We have a lot of knowledge that not a lot of people have in the industry. So definitely helping them refine their products and their strategy, that’s definitely one of the things we want to do as well.”

There are, of course, risks involved with expansion, and Castanie maintains it’s important not to lose sight of what made them successful in the first place.

“When we’ve talked about the vision and where we want to be in a few years, people tend to not give this café the priority,” he admits. “They say, ‘Oh, we want to sell games. We want to publish games.’ That’s fine. But this is a business. We should not forget this. [The café] is where we’re coming from. This is what is making us money right now and this is an experience. This is what we’re offering to people. Selling games, publishing games, that’s side activity.”

The cafe refrigerator displays a variety of prepared foods and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. “We’re probably one of the only business that is completely a cross,” says Castanie. “We’re selling stuff, but we’re not a retail store. We are cooking food but we’re not really a restaurant. We’re serving coffee but we are more than a coffee shop. We have a liquor license but we’re not really a bar. So it’s kind of a hybrid thing. And every time people ask us what we are, we’re like well, we do these four things. So we’ve got to be good at those four things.” (Photo: David Kates/Postmedia News)

All things considered, having debates about how to accommodate more people or how to expand into new areas is a pretty good thing. It’s a symptom of success, of a business that, Castanie notes, was profitable from day one.

But managing a growing business isn’t easy. Each day provides a host of new challenges and requires taking on a variety of roles. However, Castanie – who used to work as an IT consultant for a larger company – claims to take it all in stride.

“I used to be tired. You know, it’s tough, you have to get up at 6:30, take your car, you have to go there, talk to people that you don’t want to talk to,” he says. “Here, even the stuff that you don’t want to do, it seems so much easier. So you don’t feel as tired. I work way more than what I used to do . . . But I don’t feel tired. It’s such a pleasant feeling, you know?

“And I get to do things very different – organizing your day as well. Like today, maybe I’ll buy some alcohol at the LCBO and then I’ll go see an accountant. I’ll have a quick meeting with a game designer. There’s so much diversity in your day . . . that you don’t have to just sit in front of a computer and do stuff.”

As for those who might pursue a similar path, Castanie’s advice is simply to keep focused on the long game – and not to get too bogged down in day-to-day minutiae. In his words: be flexible and reactive.

“You have to think about the big picture,” he says. “You don’t want to care about, ‘What about game pieces that are getting lost?’ If it’s a problem, you’ll tackle it, but don’t think too much. I think that’s why the project only took 2 years . . . [We said], you know what, we’re going to do it . . . If [something] doesn’t work, then we’ll act.”

Games for sale at the back of the second gaming room, at Snakes and Lattes. (Photo: David Kates/Postmedia News)

And in meeting all the daily challenges and responsibilities, it doesn’t hurt to love the work you’re doing.

“Being able to do what you like, it’s just priceless,” says Castanie. “You don’t realize that. Business owners can tell you as much as you like. You don’t realize it until you’re actually doing it.

“The amount of work that we do is insane, but you don’t feel tired. You [feel] motivated. Every time there’s a hurdle, you just want to fix it. There’s no weird pressure from this weird upper management that has such a different vision of the work that is actually being done. Most of the regular employees [at other places] can feel that. They feel sometimes frustrated by what’s happening in [their] company’s environment. And the fact that we don’t have that pressure here is awesome . . .

“And also to see the customer side. When you see people really enjoy, it’s awesome. One of the things we’re really proud of is seeing in here the same diversity that you would see on the streets of Toronto . . . It’s not probably us. It’s probably that the board game itself . . . or the social aspect of the place is something that draws from everywhere. And everyone knows board games.

“It’s something that I’m very proud of, that people come from diverse backgrounds and all types of locations and they gather here.”

Initial investments: $60,000 in personal savings between Castanie and Peynet, plus about 2,000 games

Government grants or programs: None

Owner’s educational background: University degree in Logistics & IT

]]>http://o.canada.com/life/unique-idea-strategy-fuel-game-cafes-success/feed0castanie_loresdavidkateswallofgames_loresbar_cafe_loresstaffpicks_lorescafe_fromback620second_room620drinks620gamestore620Could next generation consoles ban used games?http://o.canada.com/technology/could-new-consoles-ban-old-games
http://o.canada.com/technology/could-new-consoles-ban-old-games#respondWed, 04 Apr 2012 16:03:12 +0000http://blogs.canada.com/?p=43486]]>There are rumours swirling that the successors to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (code named Orbis and Durango) may not be compatible with used games.

This seems ridiculous.

But with the increase of day one DLC, online passes and digital rights management (DRM) this claim seems almost plausible. Game publishers have been waging battle against piracy and used game sales for years and altering the next generation of consoles seems like a natural step forward.

The industry doesn’t need to resort to this. There are other ways for publishers to sidestep piracy and the used game market.

The Apple App store has shown that a comprehensive online store selling downloadable games has the potential to be extremely successful. Its competitors like Android and Blackberry continue to play catch up. Download services like Steam and Orgin are also viable alternatives for purchasing PC games.

Even Nintendo’s handheld supremacy has been challenged by Apple’s burgeoning online market and casual accessibility. Although their latest handheld gaming device, the 3DS, has started to sell extremely well, there was a time when analysts predicted its demise.

Even with the current generation of home consoles, all three major manufacturers—Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo—have online stores that sell both simple arcade-based titles and downloadable versions of full-fledged retail releases.

Sometimes these titles are even sold at discounted prices. In the case of the Xbox Live Marketplace, many full retail downloads are of older, critically acclaimed games like Call of Duty: Black Ops or Red Dead Redemption. But more recent titles like Gears of War 3 and Fifa 12 have also begun to receive full downloadable releases.

When a consumer purchases a title from a retailer like EB Games or Bestbuy, the game’s publisher receives no share of the revenue— only the store benefits. This costs publishers $2 billion a year.

Financially it makes sense for Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo to implement some sort of used-game ban on their consoles to lend their publishing partners a helping hand. But there’s an alternative: if you download a game legally from an online service, then the publisher isn’t losing out

It’s no secret gamers are passionate. If the recent uproar over Mass Effect 3’s ending is any indication, console manufacturers trying to alter the retail gaming landscape to satisfy publisher demands won’t go over very well.

One thing is for sure: The next generation of video game consoles may be almost totally unrecognizable.

What do you think? Is this just a bogus rumour? Let us know in the comments.

Rovio’s head of animation, Nick Dorra, has confirmed that the company has created 52 short Angry Birds episodes. Each will be under three minutes.

Dorra made the announcement during a keynote speech at MIP TV, a film, TV and digital media conference in Cannes. During the talk Dorra said Rovio, which released Angry Birds in Space last month to huge fanfare, plans to evolve from a video game maker into a Disney-style multi-platform entertainment empire.

Rovio has already created plush toys, pillows, magnets, clothing, books and lunchboxes based on the franchise. It has also paired with a playground equipment manufacturer to create children’s playgrounds in Finland and Britain.

“It’s in development, but it won’t be out in 2013 or 2014,” Dorra told the MIPTV audience. “You’ll have to bide your time and first watch all of our shorts!”

The original Angry Birds app has been downloaded 700 million times. According to the talk at MIP TV people spend 300 million minutes playing it per day.

See the full keynote here:

]]>http://o.canada.com/technology/angry-birds-cartoon-confirmed-at-mip-tv-2012/feed0Angry Birds cartoon confirmed by Nick Dorra at MIP TV 2012russtimothymartinReview: Mario Party 9 brings back the funhttp://o.canada.com/technology/review-mario-party-9-brings-back-the-fun
http://o.canada.com/technology/review-mario-party-9-brings-back-the-fun#respondWed, 28 Mar 2012 14:02:53 +0000http://blogs.canada.com/?p=39655]]>After a surprisingly long five- year gap between titles, the Mario Party franchise has finally returned with Mario Party 9.

The last Mario Party title I played extensively was Mario Party 2 way back in 2000 on the Nintendo 64. For better or worse (depending on how you feel about the franchise), not much has changed since then.

The title’s board game-like mechanics are still based largely on luck and random dice rolls and this continues to prevent the series from being fair. A player could win every single mini-game yet still lose because of a random die roll. However, this is what the franchise is all about— Mario Party 9 will still provide a good time to a few close friends looking to enjoy some random gaming action.

Mario Party 9 features 80 new mini-games which make interesting use of the Wii’s motion controls. This is something Mario Party 8’s random waggle based controls didn’t do very well, so it’s great to see some new unique mini-games that actually take advantage of the Wii.

Mario Party 9’s mini-games are quite varied. One mini-game, Launch Break, involves mashing away at your Wiimote’s buttons to make your rocket ship travel the farthest. Another, Ballistics, requires you to avoid Bullet Bills to become the victor. There are even some games that pit one player against everyone else in the game.

Mario Party 9 also features specific boss mini-games and special Bowser spaces strewn across the game board. The inclusion of Bowser spaces shake up the gameplay a bit, by taking stars away from players or by reversing a mini-game, but they also add to the unbalanced nature of Mario Party 9.

When traversing the game board, the only strategy that comes into play is choosing the appropriate time to use special dice blocks to avoid landing on undesirable spaces. The last place player in every match is given a dice that spins slowly to let them choose exactly how many spaces they’d like to move forwards. This gives the trailing player a glimmer of hope and attempts to balance the game.

The main focus of the franchise is still collecting stars by winning mini-games and landing on specific spaces, all while playing as your favourite Nintendo characters. But beyond the basics, a number of the franchise’s key elements have been drastically improved.

For example, in Mario Party 9, the game’s players move around the board in a single vehicle. This is very unlike past games that featured branching paths for each individual player. This new method of transporting characters around the board ensures that all players stay on a relatively even playing ground and that no one falls drastically behind the pack.

Graphically Mario Party 9 looks great and resembles Super Mario Galaxy’s smooth graphic style. There’s also a varied mix of characters and Mario franchise main stays. You’ll see Bobombs and Goomba’s but alsoWhittles from newer Mario titles like Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Strangely, the title still doesn’t include online multiplayer, a feature that should be standard in any multiplayer based video (even if it is on the relatively online challenged Wii).

If you’re not a fan of traversing across an oft-complicated game board, Mario Party 9 features modes that let you get down to what makes Mario Party such a fun franchise: mini-games. In an interesting twist, one of these modes, Garden Battle, has players competing to create a full garden. The player who wins the mini-game gets to pick their flower arrangement first. This adds another level of strategy to a relatively simple mode.

There is also a cool first person mode that allows you to play select mini-games from a first person perspective on your own. A soccer game, Shell Soccer, a bowling game, appropriately called Goomba Bowling and a bejeweled-ish game, Castle Clearout. All of these extras are a welcome addition to Mario Party 9 and provide a deeper alternative to the game’s mini-game core mechanics.

People either love or hate the Mario Party franchise. Mario Party 9 fixes a number of the franchise’s major problems but there are still a few annoying issues buried deep in the game’s core mechanics. Still, Mario Party 9 is a great game to play with a few friends.

]]>http://o.canada.com/technology/review-mario-party-9-brings-back-the-fun/feed0Mario Party 9 reviewpatrickorourkemarioparty9screenshotCelebrating homegrown innovation at the Canadian Video Game Awardshttp://o.canada.com/technology/celebrating-homegrown-innovation-at-the-canadian-video-game-awards
http://o.canada.com/technology/celebrating-homegrown-innovation-at-the-canadian-video-game-awards#respondWed, 14 Mar 2012 15:54:31 +0000http://blogs.canada.com/?p=38404]]>Many Canadians might not realize it, but some of the past year’s big-budget, critically-acclaimed video games were actually developed right here in Canada.

The 3rd annual Canadian Video Game Awards takes place in Vancouver, British Columbia and honours the best and brightest in Canadian video gaming. The ceremony awards Canadian-developed video games in various unique categories including best social/casual game, new character, original music and the biggest award of the year, game of the year. The show is produced by Reboot Communications and Greedy Productions (Electric Playground) and is partnered with Fan Expo Vancouver.

Here are a few of the most notable Canadian developed titles nominated for awards at this year’s show.

Battlefield 3

DICE’s epic modern shooter is nominated for an innovation award this year for its cutting-edge FaceForward facial capturing technology, developed in partnership with EA Capture. This new system uses 4D motion scanning to deliver realistic facial animations in video games. Anyone who has played Battlefield 3 knows it’s a graphical powerhouse, and the game’s eerily realistic facial animations are in many ways one of the title’s best graphical features.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations

Ubisoft Montreal’s reasonably historically accurate romp (a rarity in video games) through the Ottoman Empire is nominated for a number of awards this year, including best game design, best writing and that coveted game of the year title. In Assassin’s Creed Revelations, the player takes control of Ezio Auditore as he walks in the footsteps of the game’s main character Altair. The title features a unique multiplayer mode (a first for the storied franchise) that involves hunting down fellow assassins in crowded streets, and an intricate plot line.

Dragon Age II

Developed by Bioware’s Edmonton based studio, this fantasy role-playing title received critical acclaim when it was released last year. The game follows a story that is relatively standard fantasy fare. You play as Hawke, a refugee that has survived the decimation of his home and has become the champion of the game’s world, Kirkland. Like many Bioware titles, player choice plays a huge role in how the title’s plotline and gameplay develops. At this year’s Canadian Video Game Awards Dragon Age II has been nominated for the best console title award.

NHL 12

Arguably one of the best sports game of the last few years, EA Vancouver’s NHL series continues to push the envelope with innovative new features. This year’s iteration NHL 12, features a new full-contact physics system, and dynamic goalies that can be knocked out of position by other players on the ice. Fan favourite, “be a pro” mode, is a feature that lets you control a player all the way from the minor leagues to the NHL, also returns. This year NHL 2012 is nominated for best console game.

Bioware’s critically acclaimed intergalactic space epic, Mass Effect 2, took home the coveted game of the year award in 2011.This is only a small selection of the awesome Canadian developed titles nominated at this year’s Canadian Video Game Awards. Finalists in every category for the 2012 awards show will be announced on March 20, 2012. The Canadian Video Game Awards occur on April 21, 2012 at Vancouver’s Convention Centre at 8:15 p.m.

I thought nothing could be worse for Toronto’s waterfront than another ill-planned condo community/concrete wall.

I was wrong. A casino would be worse. Much, much worse.

But a casino is just what Toronto may get on the site of the soon-to-be revitalized Ontario Place. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) announced Monday that it will “modernize” gaming in the province – including with a new casino. Read the story here.

While OLG Chairman Paul Godfrey told media that OLG will be looking “all across Ontario” for a potential site for the casino, speculation is already rampant that it could land smack dab on the site of the provincially-owned Ontario Place.

Boo!

It’s not that I’m anti-gambling (the Lotto Max jackpot will be mine one day after all) but a casino on the waterfront will turn one of our few downtown access points to the lake into a grotesque carnival the likes of which Councillor Doug Ford dreamed about last summer. What next? The revival of that monorail idea?

(An aside, notice how both of these hair brained ideas have been tried in The Simpsons – and failed? Note to Toronto: If it didn’t work in Springfield, let’s back away slowly.)

This city has done such an appalling job of preserving and creating green public space. That has to change. Look at Liberty Village – a “good on paper” community that has been hampered by poor planning, chock-a-block traffic and non-existent green space. (No, that strip of grass next to the train tracks where the neighborhood dogs pee doesn’t count!)

If downtown Toronto must have a casino, let it be at Exhibition Place, which is already an event venue and tourist destination. But leave us what little of the lake we have left.

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]]>http://o.canada.com/news/torontos-waterfront-doesnt-need-a-casino/feed0rachelcourtneysaThe Mr. Burns casino from The SimpsonsDungeon Defenders hits one million downloadshttp://o.canada.com/technology/dungeon-defenders-hits-one-million-downloads
http://o.canada.com/technology/dungeon-defenders-hits-one-million-downloads#respondTue, 14 Feb 2012 15:55:37 +0000http://blogs.canada.com/?p=32177]]>Last week Joystiq broke the news that Dungeon Defenders has sold over one million units on Xbox Live, PSN and Steam. The tower defense game was an early hit, selling 250,000 copies in the two weeks following its October 2011 release.

As app stores overflow with free games, hitting one million paid downloads is no easy feat. For every Angry Birds there are thousands of games that receive only a handful of downloads each week.

According to Doug Kennedy, CEO of Dungeon Defenders’s publisher, Reverb, much of the game’s success can be traced back to its initial release on Android and iOS, back in December 2010.

When Dungeon Defenders was released on digital consoles, it was a franchise gamers already knew from their phones. “If you look at Dungeon Defenders, what [the developers] were able to do was get a version ready for iOS and Android and use it as a marketing tool,” Kennedy said.

This helped boost the game’s second set of sales. Profits from app stores often aren’t enough to keep game developers financially afloat. “With the race to be at 99 cents or free the Apple marketplace doesn’t have the price elasticity to support developers,” Kennedy said.

“If you’re trying to become an iOS or Android developer and only develop games there, you might succeed, but you’ve got a much better chance of looking at the digital console and the PC platforms being your lead,” he said.

Dungeon Defenders also got a huge boost from Steam, one of the biggest players in the digital distribution of games. Kennedy said the software is quickly becoming the publisher’s lead platform for the sale of its games.

“Steam gives you the ability to update downloadable content, to put games on sale and to offer things to consumers that are being loyal to the franchise,” he said. “They’re moving at the speed the gaming industry needs to move at.”

Kennedy isn’t content to celebrate the game’s success for very long. He’s already plotting out the strategy for games Reverb’s developers are working on, like Primal Carnage and Sanctum 2.

“We could sit back, party and drink beers all day and be happy we did a million paid downloads, but what we do next is really going to impact how people view us as a digital publisher,” he said.

Connel, a grandmother from Scotland, loves Scrabble and Brain Trainer, games she said keep her sharp. “I can’t speak highly enough of this Nintendo. It has helped to keep my brain as active as possible at my old age,” Connell said in this video interview with the Telegraph. “I find I am very forgetful. I can’t remember things the next day, so I try to do these and it is really it helping.”

Connell received her first console as a gift from her daughter, Pam Stewart, on her 96th birthday. She has been hooked ever since. Connell even has some ideas on how schools could use gaming in the classroom. “I would suggest if children had this at school, instead of playing games to do their math and spelling,” she said. “It would be wonderful.”

Connell said she doesn’t feel a day over 80. She’s the only gaming grandma we know, so we think she over shot. We peg her at a glowing 75.